JBM-HH offices trying to take the pain out of PCSing

Photo By Helen Klein | A service member stationed in the National Capital Region oversees delivery of his household goods Oct. 3, 2014, from his residence in Waldorf, Md. Both Marine Corps Community Services Henderson Hall and Army Community Service on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base offer classes and other services to help military families experience a smooth move when transitioning in or out of the National Capital Region. (Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall PAO photo by Jim Dresbach)  

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, UNITED STATES

05.14.2015

Story by Jim Dresbach 

Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall

JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, Va. - The acronym PCS, also known as permanent change of station, is part of the lifestyles of all career service members. For some, packing, planning and uprooting for another assignment is loathed and despised. New housing has to be found; some much-loved pets are forced to stay stateside when a military family ships overseas and new schools have to be researched and selected.

But Marine Corps Community Services Henderson Hall’s Marine Corps’ Welcome Aboard class and the Army Community Service Office on Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall have the resources and experience to take the pain out of packing.

Different and diverse Marine PCS cases were on deck for MCCS’ April Smooth Move class. All involved had different scenarios and dynamics to their moves. One outsourcing involved a Marine and his family — including a seven- and a three-year-old — shipping out to Okinawa, Japan. Case number two was a single Marine and his duffel heading to a barracks-to-barracks transfer to Camp Lejeune, while another case had a Marine pack out and driving cross country to Camp Pendleton at the end of June.

Willie Acevedo manages the Relocation Assistance Program at Henderson Hall and also oversees the Smooth Move Class. He emphasizes the biggest challenges moving Marines and their families face are housing headaches and managing time.

“The biggest thing that gets fouled up is the lack of proper planning,” Acedevo said. “They’ll go on the Internet and lock onto a lease agreement from any pretty picture they see on the Internet. They’ll go 20 or 30 miles outside of Henderson Hall because the price was right; but meanwhile, the housing wasn’t what they expected. So they signed a lease prior to getting here. I always, always encourage them to not do anything with leasing until they actually get here, so they can see what they’re getting into.”

Carla Moss of the ACS office, located on the Fort Myer portion of the joint base, pinpointed a few more hurdles to jump when taking the half-year preparations suggested when relocating.

“They have to check with the school liaisons before they move,” she said. “They also have to check with the relo program they are coming in to. We have apartment lists.”

“We have the housing lists,” Acevedo added during the joint interview between the Marine and Army relocation experts. “The question is: Do you want [a] house or an apartment? They can utilize our services, but don’t wait [to decide] until you get here.”

One other item Moss noted is that planning and executing a military move – whether cross country or to Europe or the Far East – can become a full-time job.

“There is a lot of stress,” Moss said. “There is a lot of stress on spouses. For the first-move spouse going overseas, it can be a nightmare.”

But by calling Acevedo at 703-693-5197 or Moss at 703-696-3510, service members can comprehensively gather all the information for a smooth move.

Next week, the Pentagram will crunch some key statistics regarding military moves in the National Capital Region and introduce Soldiers to a part of the ACS staff.

• Date Taken: 05.14.2015
• Date Posted: 05.14.2015 18:16
• Story ID: 163343
• Location: JOINT BASE MYER-HENDERSON HALL, VA, US